The oil on Antwerp

The Library was fortunate recently to have donated, a copy of One of nature's wonderlands : the Victorian Grampians by James W.C. Audas. It was published in 1925 in Melbourne, and is a natural history,concentrating on the flora of the different regions of the Grampians.

'Turret Falls' plate from the book

James Wales Clarendon Audas (1872-1959) was a member of the staff of the National Herbarium of Victoria. His visits to the Grampians made a particular impression on him. He recorded its plant life and brought together his investigations in One of Nature's Wonderlands. During his career Audas was a prolific writer; recounting tales of his botanical wanderings all around the state over half a century.

An interesting aspect of the book was a number of advertisements in the back of the book, including one for Bosisto's Parrot brand eucalyptus oil.

Joseph Bosisto was born on 21 March 1824 in Leads, England. He left school in 1839 and was apprenticed to a druggist. Engaged by F.H. Faulding, he sailed to Adelaide in June 1848. In 1852 he married Eliza Johnston, they settled at Richmond, Victoria, where in a renovated hotel stable he had a prosperous pharmacy and was consulted as 'Doctor' Bosisto.
Keenly interested in the eucalyptus plant and its multi-faceted uses, Bosisto with the encouragement of Ferdinand Von Mueller, the Government Botanist, began to explore eucalyptus oil on a commercial basis. He set up a small eucalyptus oil distillation plant near Dandenong Creek in1852. Bosisto was probably first to make distil eucalyptus oil commercially and to win repute for manufacturing Australia's first 'original' product. His decoctions of eucalyptus oil used in a variety of medicinal products were to make him a household name. The parrot sitting on the eucalyptus branch, inside the yellow circle was his most famous trademark.

James Bosisto

Bosisto was a founder of the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria in 1857, its president and co-editor of its Journal. He helped establish the College of Pharmacy. He served for 12 years on the Richmond Municipal Council and was mayor in 1865-67. He represented Richmond in the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1874.

Bosisto lost heavily in the building society crashes and spent his last years in straitened circumstances. He died aged 74 in Richmond on 8 November 1898. He was predeceased by his wife, they had no children. Bosisto formed the Eucalyptus Mallee Oil Company with five other notable citizens. They purchased the Antwerp Station freehold and erected buildings for the distilling equipment. It commenced extracting oil on 24 May 1882. Another large lease of land was added in July 1884. It employed about 70 men, however it was difficult to maintain a sufficient work-force. EMU brand was distilled at the Bosisto & Co Antwerp distillery and Parrot brand at Dandenong or Emerald.

Bosisto was interested in local community affairs. It was through the gradual land settlement and employment at the distillery, that his untiring efforts gained the Antwerp district a Methodist church built on land he donated, he was the patron of the Antwerp Cricket Club. In 1887 he wrote to the Education Department requesting the establishment of a State School.

From 1900 onwards the distillery output began to wane, and in 1904-05, the Antwerp plant was moved to new sites in N.S.W. Surplus stock was disposed of, and later a section of land was sub-divided and sold by auction. Many employees received grants of land and the Antwerp township began to take shape.